Reclaiming The Lost Art Of Biblical MeditationSýnishorn

Set Your Mind on Things Above

Solomon Ginsburg was a man who knew the power of giving himself to the meditation of Scripture. He was a Messianic Jew who lived a hundred years ago and traveled the world preaching the gospel. In 1911, he decided to head to America. His route took him to Lisbon, where he planned to cross the Bay of Biscay to London, and from there to travel on to the States.

Ginsburg was apprehensive about his travels. Arriving in Lisbon, he found the bulletin boards plastered with weather telegrams warning of terrific storms raging on the Bay of Biscay. It was dangerous sailing, and he was advised to delay his trip a week. His ticket allowed him to do that, and he prayed about it, mulling over a verse he had read that day—Deuteronomy 2:7: “The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey.”

The Lord seemed to assure Ginsburg his worldwide travels were under divine protection. Ginsburg boarded ship at once, crossed without incident, and caught the Majestic in London. His transatlantic voyage was smooth and restful. Only after arriving in the United States did Solomon learn that had he delayed his trip in Lisbon, he would have arrived in London just in time to have boarded the Titanic.*

Somehow—and I don’t know how it is—the Lord whispers words of wisdom and guidance into our ears as we meditate on Scripture. He keeps us from the shipwrecks of life as we let His Word dwell in us richly. He enables us to set our minds on things above, not on earthly things.

By meditation, we view our circumstances differently. We see our world from another angle. And because His thoughts are becoming our thoughts as we develop the mind of Christ, we are then able to relax, to trust, to quiet ourselves, and to discover peace and confidence.

Today’s Tip

The best meditation doesn’t just occur with miscellaneous random verses. It comes from a systematic study of the Word of God. You might try my habit of reading today where I left off yesterday. Right now I’m reading through Exodus, pondering the book one verse and chapter at a time, day after day.

* Solomon Ginsburg, A Wandering Jew in Brazil (Nashville: Sunday School Board, Southern Baptist Convention, 1922), 169–170.